


Crème de l'Océan

by ryukoishida



Series: You Are the Cream in my Coffee [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 19:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1911360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryukoishida/pseuds/ryukoishida
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story about the four men who work in a café of a small fishing town: Makoto Tachibana, the love-struck owner of the establishment; Haruka Nanase, the talented but eccentric pastry chef; Nagisa Hazuki, the kitchen apprentice who’s obsessed with sweets; and Rei Ryugazaki, the barista who strives to make the most beautiful latté art.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crème de l'Océan

**Author's Note:**

> Look at that horrible title. My titling skills are getting worse, I swear to god. This series will end up having pretentious French titles half relating to pastry names and the other half relating to water. Based loosely on the anime “Antique Bakery” and the lovely art that I requested from harukaaaaaaa.

            When he first decides to hire Haruka Nanase as Iwatobi Café's pastry chef, Makoto Tachibana will tell you that it's because the twenty-eight-year-old can make a mean orange chocolate ganache tart.  


            He will also tell you that Haruka has the steadiest, most elegant hands capable of the more delicate cake decorations, and the talent and instinct of a brilliant artist who can create a cake display in such an enticing way that even attracts those who don't like sweets in general.  


            It's certainly not because upon interviewing the man, Makoto discovers the lovely fact that Haruka is the type who seldom smiles, but when he does – like when he had put on the finishing touches on the sinfully delicious ganache tart with candied orange peels that Makoto can't stop raving about – his entire face lights up, and the deep blue of his eyes glitter like the surface of the sea waves hit by sunlight on a summer's day.  


            That is, of course, an outright lie, but Makoto figures there's no need for anyone to know about his little harmless crush.  


            As he would find out much too soon, there is nothing "little" or "harmless" about this ridiculous crush on the talented but aloof man.  


            It was somewhat of a surprise when Mr. and Mrs. Tachibana suddenly announced their early retirement three months ago, and declared their eldest son the sole owner of Iwatobi Café, an establishment owned by the Tachibana family for the last four generations.  


            The shop itself is not as glamorous as it sounds – from the worn-out but well-loved mahogany furniture to the home-style baked goods, light meals, and decent coffee – it's the small fishing town's inhabitants' favourite spot all year round to have casual gatherings for friends and families, and in the summer especially, a crowded tourist resting site with it being so close to the beach.  


            Makoto grew up watching his father making delicious dishes in the kitchen and his mother serving superb coffee and acting as the hostess of the cafe, and in his teenage years, he had learned all of his mother's front of house and coffee-making knowledge, but none of hid father's cooking skills.  


            So, when his parents hand over the restaurant to Makoto, along with the café's future plans should Makoto wishes for changes in direction, the first practical idea Makoto can think of, other than redesigning the interior with a new ocean theme, is to hire a kitchen staff.  


            What he ends up getting is one Haruka Nanase, a shockingly young pastry chef who claims to have only started baking because it's a calming process for him and he turns out to be really good at it, and not because he has a particular obsession with sweets, which Makoto is not ashamed to admit of having.  


            There is just a small glitch during the hiring process, which Makoto tries to handle tactfully after Haruka has proved to him that he can, in fact, make more-than-respectable pastries.

 

            “Nanase-kun, I see that you’ve worked for many well-known bakeries and cafés over the last few years, but most of them didn’t last more than three months. May I ask why?” It’s a valid question to ask on Makoto’s part as the café owner, and Haruka doesn’t hesitate.

 

            “I was fired,” Haruka tells him without any attempt to sugar-coat the truth.

 

            “From all of them? How?” Forget about delicacy; at this point, Makoto has already tried one of Haruka’s ingenious creations and has internally sobbed over its heavenly flavour, so he’s a little more than curious as to why all of Haruka’s previous employers have fired such a talented individual.

 

            “Because I only bake free,” Haruka says this with the utmost serious expression.

 

            “Um. Like, gluten-free?” Makoto is now just downright confused.

 

            “I make whatever pastries I feel like on any given day,” Haruka explains.

 

            “Ah, I-I see.”

 

            “Tachibana-kun,” he is looking straight at Makoto with such raw honesty, “To tell you the truth, I’m not the easiest person to get along with. When I make pastries, I do it my way because it’s what feels natural and right for me, but I understand that others might not feel the same way, and that made it hard for both parties to cooperate in the long term.”

 

            “You make it sounds like you’re discouraging me from hiring you, as if you’re a bad addition to this café,” Makoto chuckles nervously, a finger tapping against the mug of lukewarm coffee sitting before him.

 

            “I’m just letting you know ahead of time the kind of person I am professionally before you consider hiring me.”

 

            "I like you," Makoto blurts out without really thinking, and when Haruka raises his brows in amusement, he realizes what just comes out of his mouth and quickly adds, "I mean, I like straight-forward people – like you. Not like, well, um. You know what I mean."  


            His face is too warm and he wishes he can crack open a window or two so that he can jump out of Haruka's sight. Just from that short exchange, Makoto has a feeling that his respect and dignity as the boss of this establishment have been swept into the oven and burned into cinders – that's to say, they no longer exist.  


            "Right," a small smile lifts the corner of Haruka's lips.  


            "You're hired," The olive-haired man declares with his mind made up: crushes and dignity be damned. "Welcome aboard."  


            Makoto holds out a hand, a dazzling grin reflected in his forest green eyes. Haruka takes the offered hand firmly in his, and glancing at the cheerful and still blushing owner of Iwatobi Café, hopes that he'll be able to stick with this job for the next little while.

**Author's Note:**

> So yes. That’s the introduction of Makoto and Haru. The next drabble will probably be on Nagisa and Rei. I always seem to like to make Makoto super flustered around Haru, haha.


End file.
